ARU Final Report

Full Report – March 2021 31 “I did a bit of mindfulness stuff and like going out for walks every day.” (FG: Female, 23) “More during the second and third lockdown, I’ve thrown myself into my Uni work. It’s my final year and having that deadline on my shoulders has made me think about that rather than the pandemic. It’s definitely added more stress but at the same time it’s given me that element of “I don’t need to think about this right now, because my focus needs to be on this.”” (FG: Male, 21) “I kept myself busy with work. But I also did jigsaws, went on walks and stuff, just keeping yourself busy and active, and keep myself in a routine instead of slobbing around, get up have a coffee, have my medication, work or probably try to arrange to see some family – I did go and visit my family – I did go and see them because I weren’t going to sit in and go downhill with my mental health.” (FG: Female, ND) “Something that helped was writing lists... Lists of everything.” (FG: Female, 20) In the literature, when asked about the advice they would give to other young people on how to cope, The Children’s Society (2020) found that children’s responses reflected the Five Ways to Wellbeing (connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and be creative). Staying in touch and connected with family and friends was the most important piece of advice offered. They also talked about keeping a routine and staying busy and gave examples of activities that were in line with being creative and learning. Some had used the time to reflect on their lives and take a break from education stress. There were also many comments relating to following the government guidelines, such as staying inside, washing hands, and socially distancing. On the other hand, our research also showed examples of coping strategies that were inhibited because of the restrictions, such as gyms closing, not being able to afford subscriptions for activities that help young people, and not being able to get support with childcare from friends and family. One young person told us that even watching TV, which she used to enjoy before Covid-19, had become a problem as it was the only activity she could engage with during the day: “I like video editing so in the first lockdown I did a lot of that but unfortunately, I lost the ability to do that… I lost my subscription in November because I couldn’t afford to pay it anymore... I used to watch TV shows to wind down but now I’m just doing that all day. And I find I’ve lost motivation. The two things I used to do, one of them I can’t do and the other one is becoming the problem.” (FG: Female, 22) 4.3 Connection and loneliness The pandemic had a significant impact on how care leavers were able to connect with others, which left them at a greater risk of loneliness. This was influenced in particular by the Covid-19 restrictions, the available support, and having support bubbles.